Item 8 - Sheffield Health and Social Care

The Trust employs competent people to providespecialist advice in managing health and safetyand related matters, including members of theRisk Management and Clinical Governance Service;a Senior Infection Control Nurse and a Fire andSecurity Officer (who also acts as the Local SecurityManagement Specialist). The Trust’s Health & SafetyAdvisor is managed via the Facilities Directorate buthas a Trust-wide remit for instigating a proactiveapproach to health and safety. The FacilitiesDirectorate has specific responsibility for ensuringconsideration of health and safety in all aspectsof premises maintenance and design, and forcompliance with a range of statutory requirements.During 2011/12 the Trust introduced a revised riskbasedapproach to fire safety training which hasproved to be successful, and overall numbers of staffattending face-to-face training or completing e-basedtraining during 2012/13 has increased significantly.We have also introduced key operated fire alarmpoints in most of the inpatient wards, which hasreduced the number of unwanted fire signals (falsealarms) caused by service users inappropriatelyactivating the break glass fire alarm points.2.17.13 Consultations we have completedWe have not undertaken any formal consultationsduring the year about proposed service changes.2.17.14 Consultations we have in progressAt the time of confirming this Annual Report therewere no formal consultations in progress.2.17.15 Consultations we have plannedfor next yearIn line with our established Annual plan for2013 – 14 we may consult on the developmentof new acute care services across community andinpatient settings supported by an estate improvementand redesign programme. We will consider the needand requirements for consultation once the optionshave been reviewed during the year.2.17.16 Significant research and developmentactivities we have undertakenThe Trust sees research activity as an importantelement of ensuring quality, supporting innovationand improving productivity, as well as beingcommitted to offering service users access to newtreatments and care.The number of research projects on the NationalInstitute for Health Research (NIHR) National Portfoliounderway in the Trust and number of our serviceusers recruited to studies has increased significantlyover the last three years. Over the last 12 months inparticular, research development activity has focussedon increasing high quality commercial studies on theNIHR portfolio underway in the Trust and developingapplications to NIHR funding programmes sponsoredby the Trust. In these areas, the Trust was selectedas one of five sites in the UK for an internationalPhase 2 clinical trial of a potential new treatmentfor negative symptoms in schizophrenia. The Trust isalso the sponsor of an application to the NIHR HTAprogramme for a trial of a non-pharmacologicalintervention to reduce weight gain in severe mentalillness – this has been short-listed to the finalapplication stage. Both of these projects feed intoquality improvement areas highlighted in the NationalAudit of Schizophrenia and to the health inequalitiesthat are shown by different physical health outcomesfor those with severe mental illness.2.17.17 Serious incidents involving data lossor breaches of confidentialityThe Trust had no serious incidents involving dataloss or breaches of confidentiality during the period1st April 2012 to 31st March 2013.2.17.18. Political or charitable donationswe have madeThe Trust has not made any political or charitabledonations during the year 2012/13 as it is not lawfulfor an NHS Foundation Trust to make such donations.2.17.19. Significant differences in marketvalues of fixed assetsThe Directors consider that the methodology usedto determine the carrying value of the property,plant and equipment base as at 31st March 2013 isappropriate as it has been determined in accordancewith the Foundation Trust Annual Reporting Manual2012/13 and through the application of approvedInternational Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)based accounting policies.The Directors have also considered the possibilityof impairment on the carrying value of the Trust’sproperty as at 31st March 2013. They considerthat the current valuation does not materiallymisrepresent a fair presentation of the accounts.The Board of Directors ratified these statementsat their meeting held on the 1st May 2013.2.17.20. Significant events affecting us afterthe end of the financial yearThese are disclosed in note 23 in the AnnualAccounts contained in Section 15.2.17.21. Future developments that are likelyto affect usThe following are the significant developments likelyto affect us in the future:• Potential agreements to take on responsibility forthe Clinical Commissioning Group’s C.H.C budget• Potential funding for transforming DementiaServices located within the Sheffield TeachingHospitals NHS Foundation Trust to be transferredinto the community settings run by us• The reconfiguration of our acute psychiatricservices and our older people’s mentalhealth services, which will bring separateaccommodations into a single site and theupgrading of the ward sites and will includethe introduction of a Crisis House• Completion of the new Psychiatric IntensiveCare Unit (PICU) building.3738